She is a national treasure revered for her tireless commitment to stage and
cinema.

Yet 78-year-old Dame Judi Dench has revealed an unlikely penchant for a different kind of shoot.

The Skyfall actress, who has been nominated for Best Supporting Actress at the Baftas this evening, said it was "thrilling" to fire a gun as part of her training for the role of M in the James Bond films.

Speaking on the Andrew Marr show, she told of her invitation to Shed 19 in Buckinghamshire's Pinewood Studios, which is normally used for training stunt professionals.

She told interviewer Sophie Raworth: "I got into Shed 19. And Shed 19's where you learn to shoot a gun.

"You get in to hold a ... you know ... and you start firing at things. It's thrilling. It's thrilling because it's pretend."

Judi Dench also revealed her reaction to the news of the demise of her character in Skyfall.

She said: "I was told that very, very early on so I could get rid of the kind of peeved face and start smiling and nodding and saying, yes of course."

"I didn't feel peeved at all. Mind you, when I come to do the next one I shall hang around trying to put the boot into Ralph Fiennes."

Judi Dench also said that her last role in the Bond films was an emotional experience.

She said: "I think I was emotional when they actually said 'cut!', and they said that’s it, thanks very much.

"I think I was quite emotional then and we all had a drink and a big cake and everything – that was the emotional bit."

Judi Dench also opened up about her lifelong commitment to acting.

She said: "If you love it, you know, we’re in the minority of people who want to do a job and get employed and are able to make a living at the job and can go and do it. That’s a tiny minority, but it’s wonderful if it can happen to you.

"I remember Trevor Nunn coming into my dressing room on a first night and saying, 'When I come into your dressing room you’re always in tears.' - and in a way I am, because I always think this might be the last thing I do."

Judi Dench appears in Peter and Alice, John Logan's new play at the Noel Coward Theatre in London, in March.